Chapter 5

Clockwork Armageddon

Riley felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach. It was so like Gabriel to lull her into a false sense of security and then drop a bomb. He was a strategist in both love and war. She thought back to the night she'd ended it between them. At first he had refused to believe that she wanted to break it off. He kept asking her what was really wrong, then he tried to get her to agree to counseling, and finally he had become suspicious saying, "Is there someone else? Who is he, Riley?" She knew she couldn't hold up to hours of his interrogation without telling him the truth so she finally said the one thing she knew would hurt him enough to make him leave. It still made her sick to think of the look on his face.

"Riley!" a little voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Michael," she says throwing her arms wide for a hug.

Michael throws his arms around her neck almost chocking her. She loosens his soft little arms from around her neck and breathes in the scent of baby shampoo from his downy hair. It was worth it. It was all worth it.

Michael lets go of her neck and says, "I'm glad you're better. Gabriel said you would be alright, but you looked terrible. You had tubes sticking out of you and I was scared."

"I'm sorry I scared you little man, but I'm much better now. By tomorrow I'll be up and around and you can give me a tour of the place," she said.

"Don't make any promises you can't keep, agent," Gabriel says, and then to Michael, "Riley is going to need to get a lot of rest and she's going to have to be very careful with herself until Mac says she's all better."

"Mac was a medic in Afghanistan. He knows how to take out bullets, and put more blood in you, and sew you back up," Michael says.

"Mac is my mother's nurse. He's the only one she hasn't been able to run off with her meanness," Riley says.

"Well I'm glad Mac was here because I don't think Gabriel knows how to do all that," Riley says.

"No, but he's really strong. He carried you all the way to the helicopter, and then he flew us back here really fast," Michael says defending his new hero.

"Hey, I thought we were going to keep that helicopter thing to ourselves," Gabriel says.

"Sounds like I have a lot of people to thank for saving my life," Riley says.

"It was nothing we wouldn't have done for any passing stranger," Gabriel says.

Ignoring Gabriel, Riley says to Michael, "What have you been doing while I was lying here lazing around?"

"Gabriel's house is super cool! He has a big room just for virtual reality games. I played I was a space ranger, and a fireman, and I flew a helicopter. Gabriel says when I get really good at the game he will teach me how to fly a real one," Michael says.

"Well it sounds like you've been having a great time," Riley says.

"Not at first. At first, I was really scared and I wanted Mommy, but Granny Vaughn - She said I could call her that," Michael says gesturing to the woman in the hall and for the first time Riley notices that Michael's mother is standing there watching her, "said Gabriel wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"Mrs. Vaughn, I didn't see you there. Thank you for taking such good care of Michael," Riley says.

"I've been glad to do it. He's a very good boy and smart too," she says smiling at Michael.

Gabriel says, "We better let Riley get some sleep so she can get better and be ready to play with you in the morning. Say goodnight, Michael."

Michael throws his arms around Riley again, this time kissing her on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Riley," he says.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Riley says.

Michael looks at her hesitating.

"When am I going to get to go home? I want to see Mommy and Rex," Michael says.

"I'm not sure Michael. Mommy has a lot of work to do right now. She wanted me to bring you here so she would know that you were safe and she wouldn't have to worry about you while she was working. As soon as she can I'm sure she'll send word for us to come home," Riley says.

"But why hasn't she called me," he asked.

Lillian had a very demanding job as head of Cyber Com, but she always found time to call Michael and at least wish him goodnight.

"A lot of people got hurt in a computer accident and Mommy is working really, really hard to make sure that nobody else gets hurt. You wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt because Mommy was busy saying goodnight to you, would you?" Riley asked.

"No," Michael says in a small, dejected voice.

"Mommy knows that Gabriel and I are going to take good care of you and make sure you have a good time while you're here. I'm sure that Mommy is getting her work done as fast as she can so you and I can come home. Now give me one more hug and then go to bed, because it is way past your bed time," Riley says.

Michael gives Riley another hug and a kiss.

"Come on Michael. Granny Vaughn will put you to bed," Gabriel says.

"Actually Gabriel, you're the one that needs to sleep, and you promised Michael you would tell him stories about when you and Riley were partners. You go on and I'll sit up here with Riley until Mac comes back on duty," Mrs. Vaughn says.

"Yes Gabriel, I want to hear about the time you got shot and Granny Vaughn had to sew you up on the kitchen table," Michael says.

"Well … Okay. I could use a little shut eye. Mom if you get tired, just give me a buzz. You're not as young as you used to be," Gabriel says.

"Neither are you. Now get out of here. I'll be fine," Mrs. Vaughn says.

"How about a piggy back ride?" Gabriel asks.

"Yes! Yes!" says Michael.

"Come on then," Gabriel says bending down.

Michael jumps up on his back and says, "Monkey boy!"

As Gabriel gets up their profiles are displayed side by side and Riley draws in her breath.

"Are you alright, Riley?" Mrs. Vaughn asks as the boys leave the room.

"Just had a little twinge, that's all," Riley says.

"You should try and get some more sleep. It's the best thing for you," Mrs. Vaughn says.

"After what Gabriel told me what happened at the United Nations I don't think I can. A hundred possible threat scenarios are chasing each other around in my head right now," Riley says.

"That's why they make the good drugs, dear," Mrs. Vaughn says, "I'm just going to dial your pain killer up a tiny bit."

Riley would have argued, but she preferred sleeping to making forced small talk with a woman she knew hated her guts. Mrs. Vaughn did not forgive or forget those who hurt her little boy and Riley knew it. She smiled at Mrs. Vaughn and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.

Riley couldn't breathe. Something was covering her face. Something soft and dense was being pushed into it. She tried to move her arms, but they were constricted by something below her shoulders. She struggled harder but she couldn't move her arms. Suddenly the obstruction was lifted from her face and she could breathe. Gratefully, she sucked air into her lungs. Looking up, she squinted in the dim light coming in from the hallway to see Mrs. Vaughn standing above her holding a pillow.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't smother you to death for keeping my grandson from me for six years," Mrs. Vaughn said in a violent whisper.

"He isn't your …. " Riley manages to get out before the pillow comes down again. This time she holds it down longer and Riley feels herself losing consciousness before it is lifted again.

"If you lie to me again, girl, I won't lift this pillow until you're dead," Mrs. Vaughn says.

Riley still gasping doesn't reply until Mrs. Vaughn lifts the pillow again.

"Yes! Yes! He's Gabriel's son," Riley says.

"And you're his mother?" Mrs. Vaughn asks.

"Yes," Riley answers.

"Why? Why would you keep him from us?" Mrs. Vaughn asks.

"It was the only way," Riley says, "The only way I could keep them both safe."

"I don't understand," Mrs. Vaughn says.

"When we got engaged we talked about having children. It was just about then that they started using the Athens list to create new Intelligents. Of course, they said that the parents volunteered their children for the good of the planet, but we both knew what kind of strong arming was going on behind the scenes. Gabriel said he didn't want to have any children because of his gene mutation. He knew his children could inherit it and he said no child of his would be forced to have a chip in its head. Gabriel was going to have a vasectomy and we were going to adopt," Riley says.

"And you wanted biological children?" she asks.

"No, I was fine with it. He scheduled the surgery and then I found out I was pregnant," Riley says.

"So why didn't you tell him? Surely the two of you could have worked something out," Mrs. Vaughn says.

"I needed to know if the baby had the 4U7-R gene so I went to Lillian," Riley says.

"I should have known that strawberry-blond witch was a part of this somehow," Mrs. Vaughn says.

"We had the baby's DNA tested and it came back positive for 4U7-R gene. I didn't know what to do. I knew that Gabriel meant what he said. I knew that he would never consent to letting them put a chip in our child's head, but I also knew how treacherous government leaders could be. Our son would be a second generation Intelligent and every country in the world would be desperate to get him. It would just be a matter of time before an accident took Gabriel's life, a car would hit him as he crossed the street, or he would slip and fall in the bathroom, botulism would mysteriously appear in the sauce on his chicken. After him, I would be next and then who knows what would happen to our baby. I run protection details for a living. I know that if someone is willing to throw enough resources at making you dead it's only a matter of time," Riley says.

"So you dumped Gabriel and let them put a chip in his son's head like a good little soldier," Mrs. Vaughn said.

"That chip is what has kept Michael safe. Sooner or later, someone was going to implant that chip. All I could do was mitigate the circumstances. I could make sure that it was our government and not the Chinese. I could make sure that a woman I trusted was in control of what happened to my baby and not some stranger. I could make sure that I was the one around to protect him and not some random agent who had no reason to care for him. I worked out a plan with Lillian. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best I could do," Riley said.

"You make it all sound so noble, poor Riley sacrificing herself for the sake of her son. Do you have any idea what it did to my son? Gabriel was a mess after you left him. For the first year, he thought you would come back, and then the depression set in. If it hadn't been for Nelson and his project, I truly think he would have died of misery," she says.

"It killed me to hurt Gabriel, but it was the only way I could save his life," Riley said.

"Is that how you justify breaking his heart and stealing his son away from him?" Mrs. Vaughn said.

"Yes. I have sacrificed everything for Michael. I have regrets, but I know that I made the right choice," Riley says.

"Well I think you had more choices than you know and I think my son deserves to know he's a father. It will change everything for him," Mrs. Vaughn says.

"Please, Mrs. Vaughn now is not the time. Both our sons are in grave danger. Gabriel needs to be focused on figuring out who is killing Intelligents or he and Michael could be next. If you throw this at him now it will only distract him," Riley says.

"I will not be a part of your conspiracy to keep Gabriel in the dark about his son," Mrs. Vaughn said, "It's just a matter of time before everyone notices. That boy is the spitting image of his father at that age. Anyone with eyes who can count could figure it out."

"If you will agree not to tell him until after they have found out who is responsible for the attack on the United Nations then I promise you that I will tell him myself," she said.

Mrs. Vaughn gives Riley a hard look.

"Allright, I'll keep your secret a little longer, but Gabriel could figure it out any minute and when he does it's going to be like the wrath of God breaking over your head!"